Did you know that even 6-year-old girls believe in gender stereotypes?
breaking stereotypes
WE FIGHT WITH STEREOTYPES
The first step to fixing a problem, is to know the problem. In our educational series "BREAKING STEREOTYPES" we present harming stereotypes associated with both technology professions and genders. Let's fight them together!
Why there are so few women working in IT?
Written by: Barbara Laskowska
When I inform someone about my profession I often hear in response "A woman in an IT job? This is so unusual!" I have not heard such surprise expressed by anyone upon hearing about the profession of teacher, doctor or accountant. A research conducted in 2020 showed that women represent less than 10% in the IT sector in Poland.
Why is this profession so male-dominated? Are analytical and mathematical abilities affected by testosterone level? Or maybe more muscle mass is required to connect a few cables? What factors really affect women in the world of technology?
It seems unbelievable that a child could hear such words from its parents. Unfortunately, however, this happens very often. Girls hear such statements not only from their parents, but also from teachers and other people around them.
The Perspectives report titled "Women's Potential in IT" clearly indicates that female students are discouraged from pursuing science studies. Up to one in four respondents indicated that their family members have discouraged them from choosing a science faculty. And one in ten was directly told that studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields are not for women!
How about you? Did you have any support of your relatives? How about you, Gentlemen? Do you support your daughters/partners/colleagues in their career and educational choices?
Share your experiences with us in the media!
Math, physics? "It's not for you, my little girl!" One in four female students admit that her close relatives have discouraged her from pursuing a degree in science.
Even six-year-old girls believe that quick thinking is typical for boys.
As the results of a study conducted by Lin Bian's team show, even six-year-old girls believe that quick thinking is typical for boys. The interesting fact is that girls accurately indicate that they do better in school than boys, but they do not attribute this fact to their intellectual abilities.
To make it worse, further research has shown that this belief is also followed by concrete actions. Girls are less likely to take on challenges presented as tasks for smarter ones. At this stage some girls abandon their dreams of choosing professions that are stereotypically considered “for men only”.
The results of this study gave us a lot to think about. That is why we want to include in the activities of our foundation also the youngest part of our society. Let's start talking about it out loud and together change the stereotypes we live in.
Do you remember how it was in your case? Do you think it is necessary to work against such stereotypes? Share your experiences with us in the media!
